IMD: Live-Cases and personalized Learning
IMD announces new innovations in its MBA program to address a changing world and
new realities facing tomorrow’s leaders. Starting 2012 the program design will
have a particular emphasis on integrated classroom, real world learning and leader
ship throughout.
The new MBA program incorporates a pioneering new continous “action learning cycle
approach” through the careful integration of classes, live business cases and pro-
jects to allow participants to apply what they have learned in the classroom to
real leadership situations – from day one.
The new program has three specific innovations:
1) Program content that directly integrates classroom work, live cases and real
world projects with start-up companies, SMEs and multinationals together through-
out the year.
2) Personalized learning and individual coaching, including a personal learning
plan, an individual project and electives sequenced through the year
3) Structured pre-program preparation through IMD-guided online learning, reading
or a pre-program immersion program to achieve a basic understanding of accounting,
finance and statistics before the program starts.
These innovations are being introduced based on comprehensive research demonstra-
ting how the world has changed – and so have today’s learners. “In designing this
new program, we conducted considerable research with a broad spectrum of stakehol-
ders,” stated IMD Professor Martha Maznevski, MBA Program Director. “Tomorrow’s
leaders must have three linked skill sets. They must be able to operate an organi-
zation based on classic business fundamentals, to lead themselves and their organi-
zations, and to navigate through the uncertain and complex waters of today’s glo-
bal environment. Developing the intuition and judgment to act with impact requires
an approach where participants can learn, test and reflect in rapid, real world
learning cycles. Our small class size and deep connections with business make this
approach possible.”
IMD’s comprehensive leadership stream remains an important foundation for the pro-
gram. It includes high-intensity outdoor exercises and group work, peer reviews of
personal strengths and weaknesses, and a unique personal development elective, all
thoroughly integrated with the rest of the curriculum.
As an intensive, international one year leadership and general management program
the MBA program is limited to 90 experienced participants (this year’s class repre-
sents 45 different nationalities).
Based in Switzerland, IMD is consistently top-ranked among business schools world-
wide. With more than 60 years’ experience, IMD takes a real world, real learning
approach to executive education.
